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December 27, 2009

Knights sometimes fall prey to paranoia and conspiracy theory. Knights, in an effort to find greater meaning in their efforts by conflating the size of their enemy, may come to believe that all parties who oppose them—or even show apathy toward their position—must bein league against them. Some religious Knights may even conclude that the Devil has perceived the Knights’ threat to his agenda, and has enacted a master strategy to defeat them.

After the attacks of 9/11, Jerry Falwell insinuated that his opponents were in league with al-Qaeda, “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped make this happen.’” (He later apologized for these remarks.)

Al-Qaeda senior leaders, including Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Abu Yahya al-Libi, routinely claim that a “world war against Islam” is under way. They say this war is being waged by Crusaders (Christians), Zionists (Jews), Middle Eastern rulers who ally or dialogue with Western powers—and even other Sunni Muslims who fail to side with al-Qaeda. Deceased al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi frequently claimed that Shia Islam is a false religion created by Crusaders and Zionists to lure good Muslims away from the true (meaning the Salafi brand of Sunni) Islam.

Gardeners sometimes fall prey to “pronoia,” the belief that the universe—or God—conspires to aid them. This can make Gardeners vulnerable to being blindsided or sabotaged by the malevolent.